May 18th, 2014 by WCBC Radio
Local businessman George Merling has abandoned plans for a Riverside Recreational Park on the Potomac River in Cumberland.
Merling said he canceled an order for 50 kayaks after receiving a letter from the US Army Corps of Engineers which has say over the Flood Control Project on the Potomac here. The letter ordered Merling to remove a walkway structure on the riverside of his property along Beall Street, and said it expected the City to enforce a permanent easement that would preclude placing a staircase along the levee, along with a storage building.
Merling has removed the stairway, and says if the project is to be revived, the City will have to take the lead. The Corps said Merling is welcome to apply for approval to the City through Section 408.
In an email, Merling said the end of the project was the result of the actions of one city employee, who he called out of control. The businessman also decried what he described as an outdated set of regulations, and warned others who have property near the flood wall or levee to get ready for further action by the Corps of Engineers.
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